Newsline - April 7, 1995

April 07, 1995 00:00 GMT

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Newsline - April 7, 1995

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MINISTER SAYS NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE WILL FAIL. Deputy Prime Minister Yury
Yarov said the Duma's 12 April no-confidence vote in the government will not
succeed, Interfax reported on 6 April. He said the vote has more to do with
pre-election maneuvering than the details of Russia's agreement with Kiev to
restructure Ukraine's debt. A majority of the deputies in the Duma (226) must
support the motion for it to succeed. If the vote does pass, the president can
either replace the government or disagree with the Duma vote. If the Duma
passes it again within three months, the president must either replace the
government or call new Duma elections within four months. Duma Speaker Ivan
Rybkin said events will develop according to the constitutional provisions if
the Duma denies the government its support, Russian TV reported. * Robert
Orttung

VERACITY OF DENIALS THAT YELTSIN WILL POSTPONE ELECTIONS QUESTIONED.Nezavisimaya gazeta doubted recent statements by Yeltsin's advisers that
he has no intention of postponing the parliamentary and presidential elections,
according to the 6 April edition of the paper. The presidential office's recent
denunciations of those predicting that Yeltsin will postpone the elections,
provides the best proof that the allegations are true, according to the paper.
"Absurd ideas would not be rebutted so hotly," it claimed. Nezavisimaya
gazeta speculated that the denunciations will continue until the 50th
anniversary of World War II, when many foreign leaders will visit the country.
Then, according to the paper's scenario, Russian Public Television will begin a
campaign of "no change for the stake of stability." * Robert Orttung

VEDENKIN ANNOUNCES ELECTION PLANS. Alexei Vedenkin, currently the most
visible "fascist" in Russia, announced plans to work with the Great Russia
bloc, NTV reported on 5 April. He claimed to "have enough money to win 60% of
the seats in the Duma." Vedenkin said he had been building up a financial base
since 1990. He has been extremely successful, he claimed, because he had the
support of the U.S.S.R. Council of Ministers, the Communist Party of the Soviet
Union Central Committee, and the KGB. According to his account, the leaders of
those institutions understood even then that nationalism would play an
important role after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. He also denied that he is a
fascist and announced that he will sue all media outlets that have dubbed him
one and use the proceeds to rebuild churches. * Robert Orttung

MINERS GO ON STRIKE IN PRIMORSKY KRAI. Miners in Primorsky Krai downed
tools on 6 April to protest a four month-delay in wage payments, Russian and
Western agencies reported. Twenty-seven miners at the Avangard pit in the city
of Partizansk have already been on hunger strike since 29 March; 16, however,
have been brought to the surface in critical condition and hospitalized. The
local railway, an ore refinery, and a transport company were also reported to
be on strike. According to Reuters, regional legislative officials said they
would urge Trans-Siberian railroad workers to join the stoppage as well.
Economics Minister Yevgeny Yasin and Finance Minister Vladimir Panskov say
money from the federal budget to pay the miners is reaching Primorsky Krai on
time, Ekho Moskvy reported. The local public prosecutor's office said
Primorskugol officials had misused money from the state budget earmarked for
salaries. According to Izvestiya, cited by Reuters, First Deputy Prime Minister
Anatoly Chubais said the problem was two-fold: nonpayment of bills by coal
consumers and "laxity or even plain stealing concealed by the overall problem
of debts." * Penny Morvant

SECURITY SERVICE GAINS NEW POWERS. Commenting on reports that Yeltsin
had signed the law on the Federal Security Service (FSB), a senior Federal
Counterintelligence Service (FSK) official said the new service will be able to
infiltrate foreign organizations and criminal groups, institute inquiries,
carry out preliminary investigations, maintain its own prisons, demand
information from private companies, and set up special units and front
enterprises, Interfax reported on 6 April. The spokesman said the FSB's duties
will include foreign intelligence activities to boost Russia's "economic,
scientific, technical, and defense potential" and to ensure the security of all
government bodies. He said the FSB is the legal successor to the FSK and the
latter's personnel will not have to reapply for their jobs but will be simply
transferred. The FSK employs more than 75,000 people. Human rights groups say
they fear the security body's enhanced powers could be used to crack down on
civil liberties rather than to fight organized crime. * Penny Morvant

RUSSIA, UNITED STATES TO COOPERATE ON ECONOMIC CRIME. Russia's Interior
Ministry (MVD) and the U.S. Secret Service announced on 6 April that they will
cooperate in the fight against money-laundering, counterfeiting, and other
international economic crimes, Western agencies reported. K. David Holmes Jr.,
deputy assistant director of the Secret Service, said that in a recently
concluded two-week seminar the services had identified "several criminal cases
. . . with direct associations in Russia and the United States." He declined to
elaborate, but Boris Tereshchenko of the MVD's Economic Crimes Department said
the Americans are helping Russia in a counterfeiting case by analyzing the
paper and ink used to produce the fake notes. He said money-laundering in
Russia isa major international problem. * Penny Morvant

DUMA DEPUTIES APPEAL TO CONSTITUTIONAL COURT ON USE OF ARMY IN CHECHNYA.
About 90 Duma deputies have asked the Constitutional Court to rule on the
legality of the use of the army in Chechnya, Ekho Moskvy reported on 6 April.
The deputies maintain that the constitution does not allow the president and
his cabinet to deploy the armed forces by decree. Speaking on behalf of the
group, Communist deputy Anatoly Lukyanov told Ekho Moskvy the Chechen events
demonstrate that the president and government "simply do not respect either the
constitution or our laws." The court has not said when it will consider the
deputies' request. On 5 April, the Duma approved the first reading of a law
instructing the government to begin negotiations with the Chechen authorities
toward a peaceful settlement of the crisis. A second reading of the draft law
is scheduled for mid-April. * Laura Belin

RUSSIA STALLS ON OSCE PERMANENT CHECHNYA MISSION. Despite an agreement
in principle to station a permanent mission in Chechnya, Russia did not agree
to proceed at the weekly OSCE meeting of the Permanent Council on 6 April,
Western agencies reported. That means the European Union is unlikely to
conclude an interim trade accord with Russia when the foreign ministers meet on
10 April. Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Relations Oleg
Davydov again repeated his accusation that the EU action, which he viewed as
foregone, is more economically motivated than concerned with human rights
violations in Chechnya, Interfax reported. He was particularly critical of
France, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, saying Russia is
France's number one competitor in aluminum, nuclear materials, and provision of
space services. * Michael Mihalka

RUSSIA WILL NOT USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS UNLESS ATTACKED. As part of a
campaign to promote the indefinite extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT), Russia has agreed to join in a UN Security Council resolution not
to use nuclear weapons against a signatory of the NPT unless it or its armed
forces are attacked, Interfax reported on 6 April. Russian Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Grigory Karasin said that if nuclear weapons were used or
threatened against a non-nuclear state that adhered to the NPT, then the
members of the UN Security Council would take measures to provide the victim
with the necessary assistance in accordance with the UN Charter. Karasin said
Russia hopes the resolution will strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime
and further international stability and security. * Michael Mihalka

LUKOIL TO FLOAT BONDS. The Russian oil company LUKoil is preparing to
float bonds for Russian and foreign investors in two installments over the next
few months, firm president Vagit Alekperov announced to Russian and Western
agencies on 5 April. The first, planned for May or June, is reserved for
foreign investors and should bring in "at least $300 million," Alekperov said.
The Russian portion of the issuance should come in the fall. The bonds will be
guaranteed by 11% of the state-held shares in LUKoil, a big Russian oil
conglomerate with activities ranging from extraction to distribution. The
proceeds of the bond issue will be used for technical equipment, rebuilding
refineries, new deposit operations, and repaying debts due to the state which
amount to more than 1 trillion rubles ($200 million). In 1994, LUKoil accounted
for 15% of Russian oil production. * Thomas Sigel

SOLZHENITSYN DENOUNCES CAMPAIGN "HYSTERIA." In a televised speech that
was excerpted in the 7 April edition of Rossiiskaya gazeta, Nobel
Prize-winning author Alexander Solzhenitsyn denounced Russian politicians of
all persuasions for succumbing to pre-election "fever and hysteria." Eight
months before scheduled parliamentary elections, he said, Duma deputies and
party leaders were devoting more energy to campaign strategy than to improving
the lives of Russians, which is a "shame." Solzhenitsyn added that by autumn,
the "pre-election epilepsy" would afflict all Russians. He proposed limiting
campaign activities to the four weeks before elections, as is done in England.
Solzhenitysn criticized Duma deputies in particular for not passing laws on
crime, corruption, or local self-government in recent months. He said deputies
design their speeches and actions not to serve "the fatherland" or "the
people," but only "my faction, my party, my personal use and profit." * Laura
Belin

TAJIK PARLIAMENT ELECTS SPEAKER. At its opening session in Dushanbe on 6
April the new Tajik parliament elected the chairman of the Popular Party of
Tajikistan, lawyer Safarali Radzhabov, as its speaker by an overwhelming
majority, Interfax reported. Radzhabov was the only candidate nominated for the
post, following President Emomali Rakhmonov's statement that the head of state
and parliament speaker should not both come from the same region. Abdulmadzhid
Dostiev (like Rakhmonov a native of Kulyab), who had been tipped as a possible
candidate, was elected first deputy speaker. * Liz Fuller

PERRY IN TASHKENT, KARIMOV ON RUSSIA. U.S. Defense Secretary William
Perry held talks on defense and economic cooperation with Uzbek President Islam
Karimov, Defense Minister Rustam Akhmedov, and Foreign Minister Abdulaziz
Kamilov on 6 April, Russian and Western agencies reported. They agreed on
setting up a working group to study the prospects for bilateral cooperation and
a program for joint actions including the training of Uzbek officers. Karimov
identified threefactors which threaten Uzbek independence: "imperialist
ambitions in Russia . . . which are intensifyingdaily," "the threat from the
south . . . fundamentalism," and the problem of "how to ensure
irreversibility," Interfax reported. Karimov is seeking "close cooperation"
with the U.S., whose presence in Central Asia he termed a "guarantee of
stability" adding, however, that the U.S. had a "distorted picture" of Uzbek
and regional affairs. Karimov rejected the standing Kazakh proposal for a
Eurasian union, saying it would undercut Uzbek independence. He expressed
sympathy for the Ukrainian military doctrine (which does not mention Russia but
regards any country that follows a consistently hostile policy as an enemy) and
urged the U.S. to help strengthen that country's independence. Perry expressed
concern for the slow pace of democratic reform in Uzbekistan but praised the
republic as "an island of stability in a troubled area." * Lowell Bezanis

EAST EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HEADS AT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. East European
parliaments began a regular dialog with the European Parliament on 5 April,
international agencies reported. Parliament leaders from Bulgaria, the Czech
Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia attended a session on
pre-membership strategy for Eastern Europe. Ivan Gasparvic from Slovakia said
they would discuss the implementation of the Schengen accord at their next
session. Romania's Radu Berceanu said he hoped the meetings would speed the
entry of the East into the EU. Hans van den Broek, EU commissioner for foreign
affairs, said he is seeking cooperation in political as well as economic
matters. He added that entry into the EU for the six countries is only a matter
of time. * Michael Mihalka

GAZPROM DENIES CUTTING GAS TO UKRAINE. Interfax on 6 April quoted
parliament speaker Oleksandr Moroz as warning that Russia has threatened to cut
gas supplies to Ukraine due to its outstanding debt. But Deputy Prime Minister
Viktor Pynzenyk denied that Russia has made such threats. Segonya
reported that Gazprom has reduced supplies but said this was due to planned
maintenance work on pipelines and was not a punitive measure. Meanwhile,
Gazprom denied that it had anything to do with supply cuts to 4,000 Ukrainian
enterprises. * Ustina Markus

BELARUSIAN ELECTION UPDATE. Alyaksandr Abramovich, head of the
Belarusian Central Election Commission, has said candidates in the May
parliament elections will receive 600,000 Belarusian rubles ($50) for their
campaign, Interfax reported on 6 April. Each registered candidate will also be
entitled to one radio slot and the free publication of his or her campaign
platform. Chairman of the Supreme Soviet Mechyslau Hryb said he believes many
districts will need runoff elections because no single candidate will receive
the half of the votes necessary to win. * Ustina Markus

SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER IN ESTONIA, LITHUANIA. Ingvar Carlsson, during a
six-hour visit to Tallinn on 4 April, met with President Lennart Meri, outgoing
Prime Minister Andres Tarand, Foreign Minister Juri Luik, and Premier-designate
Tiit Vahi. BNS reported. Carlsson discussed with Tarand the introduction of
visa-free travel between the two countries and Estonian relations with Russia.
He said Estonia could count on Sweden's support to join the European Union and
asserted that Sweden would not remain indifferent if Estonia were attacked by
an aggressor. Carlsson gave similar pledges to Lithuanian President Algirdas
Brazauskas and Prime Minister Adolfas Slezevicius in Vilnius on 6 April. He
also discussed the problems of refugees trying to reach Sweden through the
Baltic States and the safety of the atomic power plant at Ignalina. Carlsson
postponed a visit to Latvia scheduled for 5 April to attend an important
Swedish parliament session. * Saulius Girnius

LATVIA TAKES REFUGEES OFF TRAIN. Prime Minister Maris Gailis on 6 April
bowed to international pressure by agreeing to move the 100 or so Asian
refugees from two train wagons at the Karsava railroad station to a planned
internment center at Olaine, 25 km south of Riga, Reuters reported. Foreign
Ministry official Martins Virsis held talks in Moscow with Russian Deputy
Foreign Minister Sergei Krylov on the refugees and succeeded in obtaining
assurances that Moscow would accept those refugees who could prove they had
come from Russia. Virsis said the Latvian immigration police had acted too
hastily in trying to deport the refugees without the involvement of the Foreign
Ministry. * Saulius Girnius

POLISH PREMIER GETS NO DATES IN BRUSSELS. NATO and EU officials highly
praised Prime Minister Jozef Oleksy's decision to continue Polish foreign
policy pursued since 1989 but gave no firm commitments on a timetable for
possible Polish membership. Oleksy told reporters in Brussels on 6 April that
he expects Poland to join NATO within three years and the EU by 2000. But
European Commission chairman Jacques Santer said he opposes "fetishizing
dates," according to Rzeczpospolita. Meanwhile, Gazeta Wyborcza
quoted unnamed NATO sources in Brussels as expressing concern over Poland's
delay in establishing structures for democratic control over the military In
other news, the first line of Poland's only underground, planned since 1925 and
under construction sporadically since 1951, was scheduled to start running in
Warsaw on 7 April, Gazeta Wyborcza reported. * Louisa Vinton

STAR OF DAVID FINALLY ERECTED AT CZECH CONCENTRATION CAMP. A five-meter
Star of David on 6 April was erected at the former Terezin concentration camp,
north of Prague, from where more than 100,000 Jews and other inmates were
dispatched to extermination camps during World War II. The steel and iron star
was placed close to a cross with a crown of barbed wire in the cemetery at the
entrance to Terezin's "Small Fortress." A group of American Jewish activists
who last year visited Terezin complained that there was no monument to the Jews
who died in the town's ghetto. The cemetery itself is a memorial to Terezin
inmates who died in a typhus epidemic in the last months of the war and after
the camp's liberation. Under communism, Terezin was portrayed simply as a site
where anti-fascists were housed and then transported to death camps, without
mentioning that the vast majority were Jews. A museum of the Jewish ghetto was
opened at Terezin in 1991. * Steve Kettle

SLOVAK PRESIDENT SAYS MECIAR BUILT PARALLEL INTELLIGENCE SERVICE. Michal
Kovac, in a statement read to the parliament on 6 April, responded to an
address by Premier Vladimir Meciar the previous day on the Slovak Information
Service. Meciar told parliament deputies that since its creation, the SIS has
opposed his Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, and he accused SIS officials of
shadowing him (see OMRI Daily Digest, 6 April 1995). Kovac called
Meciar's address "a pitiful example of how presumptions and disinformation can
be confused with incontestable reality or facts." He accused Meciar of creating
"an illegal parallel structure of intelligence activity" opposed to the
president and other individuals. The parliament the same day reapproved a law
allowing state secretaries to vote in cabinet sessions in place of ministers
and transferring the Office of Industrial Property to Banska Bystrica on 1 May.
* Sharon Fisher

SLOVAK MINISTRY REMOVES INVESTMENT FIRM'S LICENSE. The Slovak Finance
Ministry on 31 March removed the license of Prva Slovenska Investicna
Spolocnost (PSIS), Narodna obroda and Praca reported on 7 April.
Harvard Investment, which is run by the father of MDS deputy Ivan Lexa, and
Agroinvest were given temporary control over the PSIS portfolio. PSIS
representatives say they will take every legal step to have the decision
overturned. The PSIS is a shareholder in the firm that publishes the opposition
daily Sme. * Sharon Fisher

OPINION POLL ON SLOVAK PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. An opinion poll conducted by
the FOCUS agency in March shows that the Presidency is the most trusted
institution in Slovakia and television the least. Confidence in the president
has fallen only 1% since November to 66%, while trust in Slovak Television has
plummeted from 51% to 40%. Confidence in the Constitutional Court has dropped
from 61% to 55%, in Slovak Radio from 60% to 54%, in the parliament from 57% to
51%, and in the government from 52% to 44%. The government, which took office
in mid-December, has advocated changes bringing Slovak Television and Radio
under its control. * Sharon Fisher

UN FIRES SMOKE SHELLS AT SERBS. The 7 April Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung reported that UNPROFOR troops the previous day fired smoke shells
at Serbs near Sarajevo. The Serbs had ignored an ultimatum from the
peacekeepers to stop firing on the capital's only supply road, which crosses
Mt. Igman. Serbs also shelled the government-held suburb of Hrasnica, killing
at least two. News agencies reported US Undersecretary of State Richard
Holbrooke as warning that the cease-fire is beginning to come apart. Outside
Sarajevo, government forces pressed Serbian troops in the Doboj area and
claimed to have surrounded the key Serbian television relay tower at Stolice,
near Tuzla. Nasa Borba on 6 April reported that Bosnian Serb leader
Radovan Karadzic has asked the UN to allow in shipments of oil "for
agricultural purposes." NIN on 7 April, moreover, quotes his deputy, Nikola
Koljevic, as warning Serbia that there will be "a civil war" among Serbs if
Belgrade ever recognizes Bosnia-Herzegovina. * Patrick Moore

CROATIA WANTS "INTENSIVE TALKS." Hina on 6 April quotes Foreign Minister
Mate Granic as saying UN Security Council Resolution 981, which transforms
UNPROFOR into UNCRO under a changed mandate, is the strongest document in
Croatia's favor that the body has ever approved. He now wants negotiations,
first with the international community and then with the Serb rebels, on
extending Zagreb's sovereignty throughout its internationally recognized
territory. He also noted that of the prewar population of 650,000 in Serb-held
areas, only about 200,000 remain. Even about 120,000 Serbs have left, Granic
said. UN officials added that there are no signs of demilitarization in Sector
East around Erdut and Vukovar, which Serbia reportedly intends to keep because
of its oil and agricultural wealth. The 7 April Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung noted that Croatia and Hungary have signed an agreement aimed at
protecting the rights of the roughly 30,000 ethnic Croats in Hungary and the
25,000 ethnic Hungarians in Croatia, many of whom have become the victims of
Serbian "ethnic cleansing" in Sector East. The treaty is based on Council of
Europe norms. * Patrick Moore

KRAJINA SERBS REJECT "PEACE AT ANY PRICE."Nasa Borba on 7 April
quotes Krajina Serb leader Milan Martic as saying that Resolution 981 is
unacceptable to his people. He blamed the new measures on the alleged
domination of the Security Council by the U.S. and Germany. He accused the
international community of trying to drive the Krajina Serbs "into a ghetto."
Martic warned against attempts to station peacekeepers on Croatia's borders
with Bosnia and Serbia, saying "there are no borders between Serbian
territories." * Patrick Moore

INDEPENDENT MONTENEGRIN RADIO IN TROUBLE.Nasa Borba on 7 April
reports that Radio Elmag, the first independent radio station in the rump
Yugoslav republic of Montenegro, is in dire straits. Government demands for
fees and taxes is threatening to drive the station out of existence. Radio
Elmag may become the latest victim in rump Yugoslavia's efforts to crackdown on
the independent media. This campaign culminated in late 1994, when Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic attempted to eliminate the independent daily
Borba, now reincorporated as Nasa Borba. * Stan Markotich

ROMANIAN TV UNION LEADER ENDS HUNGER STRIKE. Dumitru Iuga, leader of the
Radio and Television Free Trade Union, has ended his hunger strike after 36
days, Romanian Television reported on 6 April. Iuga told journalists in
Bucharest that he reached the conclusion that his protest, "in its present
form, is no longer useful." Several other union members who fasted in
solidarity with Iuga also ended their action. Iuga said he intended to use
"totally different forms of protest in the future." He added that the
authorities' handling of the conflict proved they had a plan to eliminate "by
any means" candidates for the Radio and Television Administrative Council who
were considered "troublesome." Since the parliament will hold new elections for
the remaining eight seats on the council, continuing the strike would mean to
"abandon the struggle," Iuga argued. In other news, subway workers ended their
strike on 5 April, after the government agreed to a wage increase of 67,000 lei
($36). * Michael Shafir

ROMANIAN OFFICIALS ON NATO AND RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA. Defense Minister
Gheorghe Tinca, in an interview with Radio Bucharest on 6 April, said that
following talks with his Russian counterpart, Pavel Grachev, he hoped Russia
better understands Romania's motives for pursuing integration with NATO. He
said Romania sees no conflict between its efforts to become a NATO member and
having good relations with Russia. Also on 6 April, Tinca met with Russian
Federation Council Chairman Vladimir Sumeiko, who repeated his support for the
withdrawal of Russia's 14th Army from the separatist Dniester region.
Presidential spokesman Traian Chebeleu said the same day that relations with
NATO are a matter to be decided between individual countries and the
organization. * Michael Shafir

ROMANIA DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN MOLDOVAN STRIKES. Presidential spokesman
Traian Chebeleu on 6 April told a press conference in Bucharest that Romania
has played no role in the strikes in Chisinau and elsewhere in Moldova. He
noted that "there are forces in Chisinau that try to blame Romania every time
something goes wrong there." Also on 6 April, Radio Bucharest reported that
Alexandru Scerbanschi, head of the commission set up by President Mircea Snegur
to deal with the strikers' demands, has canceled a meeting with the strikers'
committee "for health reasons." International agencies reported that thousands
of strikers continued their protest on 6 April, halting traffic in the city and
chanting anti-government slogans. * Michael Shafir

SCANDAL IN BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT OVER NEW LAND LAW. The government's
latest proposed amendment to the land law caused a scandal in the parliament on
6 April, Bulgarian newspapers reported the following day. The Socialist
majority has proposed to restitute land on the basis of declarations submitted
by owners when they joined farm cooperatives under communist rule. Vladislav
Kostov of the Union of Democratic Forces said these declarations, submitted
under pressure, were invalid, since many depicted the plots of land as smaller
than in reality. Vasil Gotsev, deputy chairman of the UDF's National
Coordinating Council, said the proposed amendment violates the right of
ownership. One UDF deputy was expelled from the parliament for improper
conduct. A vote was not taken on the amendment due to continuing disorder. *
Stefan Krause

BULGARIAN NATIONAL BANK LOWERS PRIME INTEREST RATE. The Bulgarian
National Bank on 6 April lowered the prime interest rate to 65% from 72%,
Demokratsiya reported the following day. A BNB official said the rate
was lowered because of low inflation in the first months of 1995, not because
the government had insisted. As a result, production and investment are
expected to be stimulated, but there may be disturbances on the currency
market. BNB Governor Todor Valchev, however, said the bank is capable of
keeping the lev's exchange rate under control. * Stefan Krause

EUROPEAN COURT ADVOCATE SAYS GREEK EMBARGO IS LEGAL. European Court of
Justice Advocate General Francis Jacobs on 6 April said the court should
dismiss a complaint over Greece's trade blockade against Macedonia, AFP
reported the same day. He said the complaint, filed by the European Commission
in April 1994, fell outside the jurisdiction of the court, as questions of
national security are up to each country to decide. According to Reuters,
Jacobs said that given historical tensions in the Balkans, it is not completely
unreasonable for Greece to fear war. The court, which is not obliged to follow
Jacobs' opinion, is unlikely to rule on the case before the fall. Greek
government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said his country "can only be entirely
satisfied." The Macedonian Foreign Ministry considered Jacobs' position to be
the "inauguration of a new form of economic violence." It expressed its "deep
shock at such a stand encouraging economic blockades in the settlement of
bilateral problems." * Stefan Krause

ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT DENIES EMBARGO-BUSTING REPORTS. The Albanian Foreign
Ministry has denied recent media reports that petrol and oil continue to be
smuggled from Albania into Montenegro, Reuters reported on 6 April. It said
"the Albanian government has taken the necessary measures to eliminate the
smuggling of fuel in violation of UN sanctions." Reuters also quotes a senior
police official as saying that smuggling from Albania to Montenegro has
decreased since Romania and Bulgaria began to offer cheaper oil products.
Albanian sanctions coordinator Arben Petrela said Albania's fuel imports
dropped from 172,000 tons in the last three months of 1994 to 54,000 tons in
this year's first quarter. But Gazeta Shqiptare carried a story on 6
April about large-scale oil smuggling on Lake Shkoder, which borders
Montenegro. * Fabian Schmidt

ALBANIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES TREATY ON RETURN OF GOLD. The Albanian
parliament has ratified a treaty on the return of 1,574 kilograms of gold,
Gazeta Shqiptare reported on 7 April. The U.S. and Albania signed the
treaty on 10 March. Worth some $13 million, the gold was stolen by Germany
during the occupation in World War II and later handed over to a commission,
made up of the U.S., Britain, and France, for safekeeping. The Albanian
parliament agreed that the U.S. can keep gold worth some $2 million for
reparations to American citizens whose property in Albania was confiscated by
the communists. Britain sanctioned the agreement in 1992. France has declared
its willingness to return the gold without preconditions, but an accord has not
yet been signed. * Fabian Schmidt